Buffing machine



July 15, 1941. w. DE 1F. ABBo'r- BUFFING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A mm I flfforng.

w. DE F. ABBOTT July 15,1941

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Jul 15, 1941'.

BUFFING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 5 i 449 J. g I 44 4/ II 7:16: W" 4,]

26 I; g l ll I n I 75 5 3% J m 1/ a I "IH 7g 2 Y M I k 2 77 w 1 i I I fnnkenijo'i; M 917 5 W? Z Patented July 15, 1941 -UNHTE srres BUFFING MACEHNE Application November 9, 1939, Serial No. 303,604

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic machines but more particularly to an automatic polishing and 'buffing machine.

It has for one of its objects to provide a machine of this character whose spindle-head is so mounted as to be universally adjustable relatively 'to the buffing wheel of the machine to permit ready charging and removal of the articles operated upon.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a vertical and tilting adjustment of the spindle-head to thereby accommodate it to various shapes and sizes of articles to be polished or buffed.

A further object is to provide efficient means for effecting a fore and aft adjustment of the head to bring the work into operating engagement with the buffing or polishing wheel and also accommodate the length of'work being operated upon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which is simple, compact, inexpensive in construction, reliable in operation and whose parts are not liable to get out of order.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out in "the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure- 1 is a front elevation view of the boiling machine embodying myinvention and showing an articleto be treated in contact with a polishing wheel; Figure 2 is an end view thereof. Figure 3 is'anenlarged, fragmentary transverse vertical section taken in line 3-3, Figure 2. Figure '4 isan enlarged horizontal section taken in the plane of line 44,'Figure 3. Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5, Figure 4. Figure 6 'is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the lever and pin construction for allowing the head to swing toward and from the polishing wheel. Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line l-l, Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings, i6 indicates the base upon which the working parts of the invention are mounted, and Il indicates a polish "i-ng or bufi'ing wheel to which the work is presented 'forbufiing or polishing, this wheel being mounted on a horizontal shaft [2 applied to a suitable support l3 and driven by a belt M in any well known manner.

Rising above the base It and supported thereon through the medium of a step or thrust bearing [5, is a vertically-disposed cylinder-like member or turret it which is adapted for rotative adjustment about a vertical axis and which has a flange at its upper end to which a laterally-disposed horizontal, dove-tail flanged track or guide table 51 is fixed. Guided for lateral adjustment on this track. or for movement in a direction toward and from the axis of the bufiing wheel II is a slide-plate l8. Adjustment of this slide-plate may be effected by a longitudinal screw l9 journaled at one end in the front end of the slideplate and engaging a nut Zfl depending from the slide-plate, a hand wheel 2! being secured to the front end of the screw for manually turning it in one direction or the other to move the slideplate in a direction toward and from the axis of the buiiing wheel 1 l.

Sui-mounting and supported on the laterallyadjustable slide-plate l8 for bodily adjustment therewith and for independent angular adjustment to the horizontal as well as linear adjustment at right angles thereto or in a direction parallel to the axis of the buffing wheel, is a work-spindle supporting head or frame. By preference, this spindle-supporting frame consists of a vertically-adjustable table or dove-tail flanged truck 22 disposed in spaced relation to the slide-plate l8 for both vertical and angular displacement within predetermined limits and having a housing or work-supporting carriage 23 guided thereon for independent longitudinal adjustment in a direction parallel to that of the buffing wheel axis. Pairs of vertical adjusting screws 2d and 25 serve to adjustably connect the guide track 22 at the desired elevation or pitch relative to the slide-plate l8, the pair of screws 2 1 being pivotally connected at their upper ends at 26 adjacent one end and at opposite sides of the guide track, while their threaded shanks are adjustably connected to companion pivoted lugs or swiveled blocks 21 applied at one side of the slide-plate E8. The companion pair of screws 25 are pivoted at their lower ends at 28 to companion lugs 30 applied to the opposite side of the slide-plate l8, while their threaded shanks are adjustably connected to companion pivoted lugs 3! applied adjacent the other end and at opposite sides of the guide track 22, as shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that the pairs of screws are disposed fore and aft at diametrically opposite sides of the turret-axis and that adjusting nuts 32 may be provided for effecting the elevational adjustment of the guide track 22, together with its work-spindle carriage 23 to properly set or present the work to be buffed or polished to the buning wheel I I; A vertically swinging tie lever 33 is preferably interposed between the top of the slide-plate l8 and the underside of the guide track 22, one end of this lever being fulcrumed to the pivot 26 and its other end being fulcrumed to the pivot 28, so that during an adjustment of the spindle carriage 2223 vertically or at an angle to the horizontal, as by adjusting the'screws 24, the tie lever is accordingly displaced vertically and serves as a brace for supporting the guide track in its adjusted position.

The spindle-carriage 23, which is guided on the vertically-adjustable track 22 for longitudinal adjustment independently thereof and parallel to the axis of the bufiing wheel H, is preferably in the form of a casing or housing in the upper end of which is journaled a horizontal workcarrying spindle 34 on the ends of which the article 35 to be buifed or polished is adapted to be detachably mounted or chucked. During bufling, the spindle is rotated and for this purpose motion is transmitted thereto from an electric motor 36 through the medium of a belt and pulley drive 31, shaft 38, worm 39 and worm wheel 40. The means for effecting the longitudinal adjustment of the spindle-carriage, and particularly a continuous fore and aft displacement of that carriage over a definite, predetermined stroke relative to the buffing wheel as when operating on work of varying lengths greater than'the operating face or width of the buffing wheel, is preferably constructed as follows:

Applied to the interior of the carriage-housing 23 are rollers 4| which engage the top side of the flanged track 22 to facilitate the smooth fore and aft adjustable stroke-travel of the spindlecarriage. Journaled in a cross-strap 42 formed at the lower end of the carriage-housing is an upright stud-shaft 43 on which is mounted a stroke-governing gear 44 meshing with a drive pinion 45 fixed on the lower end of an upright shaft 46 journaled in said housing and having a bevel gear 4'! at its upper end meshing with a like gear 48 fixed on the spindle 34. When the latter is rotating, motion is transmitted through such gearing to the gear 44. Formed in the top side of the latter at one side of its axis is a radial groove 49 in which an adjustable crank member or cross-head 50 is arranged, this crosshead being adapted to be set either axially of the gear 44 or in any one or another of a plurality of radially-adjusted positions through the medium 'of a clamping bolt Connected at its inner end to this cross-head is a stroke-arm or pitman 52 whose outer end extends through an opening 53 in the housing and is pivotally connected, as indicated at 54, to a bracket 55 in guiding contact with the track 22. Depending centrally from this bracket is a nut 56 with which a longitudinal adjusting screw 5'! journaled in the track 22, engages and whereby an adjustable connection is provided between the track and the spindle-carriage for predetermining a given stroke to be imparted to the latter for each revolution of the gear 44. Should the cross-head 50 be set axially of this gear no stroke-movement will be imparted to the carriage, and should it be desired to adjust the carriage 23 to present the article to the buffing wheel H, a manual adjustment may be effected through the medium of a hand wheel 58 applied to the outer end of the screw 51. Should it be desired to effect a fore and aft reciprocating movement to the carriage, so as to present a comparatively long article from end to end across the face of the bufiing Wheel, then the crosshead is adjusted oif center in its gear-groove 49 for the stroke desired and a like stroke will accordingly be imparted to the carriage from the driven gear 44.

As previously stated, the turret l6, to which the laterally-adjustable slide-plate I8 is attached and which plate in turn supports the universally adjustable spindle-carriage assembly 23, is rotatably adjustable in its supporting base H] for swinging the work toward and from the bufling wheel I I and thereby facilitate and minimize the time required in charging and discharging the articles to and from the spindle 34. To this end I provide a vertically-displaceable locking pin or bolt which is slidably mounted in the upper end of the turret at one side thereof and which is adapted to register with one or another of a plurality of sockets formed in the adjoining top side of the base H). A spring 6| normally urges the locking pin downwardly into latched position to hold the turret against turning. The movement of the locking pin to its unlatched position is effected by a treadle-operated, vertically-swinging trip finger 62 pivoted intermediate its ends at 63 between ears 64 projecting radially from the turret and having its inner arm engaging a cross notch 65 in the opposing side of said pin, while its outer arm is connected by a link 65 with a vertically-swinging foot lever 61 pivoted at 68 to the lower end of the base it. The lower or lever-connected end of the link 56 is displaced forwardly of its upper or trip finger connected end, so that upon depressing the pedal to release the locking pin 59 from its engaged socket 66, a turning movement is simultaneously imparted to the turret to swing it and the parts borne by it in a direction to swing the article-bearing spindle 34 away from the bufiing wheel. The link 66 has a turnbuckle 69 for lengthening or shortening it to accordingly vary the pedal-stroke and its opposite ends are universally connected to the actuating lever 61 and the trip finger 62, respectively.

I claim as my invention:

1, In a bufiing machine, a base, a combined swiveling and longitudinally-adjustable slide member mounted on said base, a work-spindle frame surmounting said slide member and including a track member and a carriage guided thereon for longitudinally-adjustable movement in a direction at right angles to said slide memher, and pairs of vertically-arranged adjusting screws disposed in supporting relation between said slide member and said carriage-track, one pair of adjusting screws being pivoted at one end to said slide member and adjustably and swivelly connected at their other ends to said carriagetrack and the other pair of adjusting screws being pivoted at one end to the carriage-track and at its other ends to said slide member.

2. In a buffing machine, a base, a combined swiveling and longitudinally-adjustable slide member mounted on said base, a work-spindle frame surmounting said slide member and including a track member and a carriage guided thereon for longitudinally-adjustable movement in a direction at right angles to said slide member, pairs of vertically-arranged adjusting screws disposed in supporting relation between said slide member and said carriage-track, one pair of adjusting screws being pivoted at one end to said slide member and adjustably and swivelly connected at their other ends to said carriage track and the other pair of adjusting screws being pivoted at one end to the carriage-track and at its other ends to said slide member, and a vertically swinging tie lever disposed between the slide member and the carriage-track and pivoted at its ends to the companion screw-pivots.

3. In a buffing machine, a base, a rotatable turret mounted on said base, a Work-spindle frame surmounting said turret for movement therewith into and out of operative relation with a bufiing wheel, a locking pin applied to said turret and movable into and out of latched engagement with said base for holding the turret in a given position of rotative adjustment, and lever means operatively connected to said turret and said locking pin for moving the latter to its unlatched position and for simultaneously turning the turret about its axis to swing the workspindle frame a predetermined distance in a direction away from the bufiing wheel, said lever means including a displaceable connection nor,- mally disposed at an angle oblique to the turretaxis.

4. In a buffing machine, a base having a plurality of sockets therein, a rotatable turret mounted on said base and having a locking pin thereon movable into and out of latched engagement with one or another of said base-sockets for holding the turret in a given position of rotative adjustment, a work-spindle frame surmounting said turret for movement therewith into and out of operative relation with a buffing wheel, an actuating finger pivotally connected to said turret to move therewith and having one end in coupling engagement with said locking pin for moving it to released position, a spring acting on said pin for urging it to latched position, and lever means operatively connected to the other end of said pin-actuating finger for moving the locking pin to a released position and for simultaneously turning the turret about its axis to swing the work-spindle frame a predetermined distance in a direction away from the bufiing wheel, said lever means including a tie link normally displaced at an oblique angle to the axis of the turret.

5. In a buffing machine, a base having a guide track thereon, a work-spindle carriage guided on said track for longitudinal reciprocating adjustment relative to a buffing wheel, a drive spindle journaled in said carriage, a driven strokegoverning member applied to the carriage and operatively connected to said drive spindle, and having a radial guideway therein, a cross-head adjustably fitted in said guideway to assume one or another of a plurality of positions along the same, a bracket in guiding engagement with said track for adjustment lengthwise thereof; and a connection between said cross-head and said bracket for controlling the reciprocation of the carriage relative thereto over a predetermined stroke-movement.

6. In a bufiing machine, a base having a guide track thereon, a work-spindle carriage guided on said track for longitudinal reciprocating adjustment relative to a bufiing wheel, a drive spindle journaled in said carriage, a driven member applied to the carriage and operatively connected to said drive spindle and having a radial guideway therein, a cross-head adjustably fitted in said guideway to assume one or another of a plurality of positions along the same, an adjusting screw and nut for manually adjusting the carriage on its track, and a connection between said cross-head and said nut for controlling the automatic reciprocation of the carriage relative thereto over a predetermined stroke-movement.

WALTER DE F. ABBOTT. 

